Content Area(s): Life Science Topic: Head injuries from contact sports Short description: Multiple concussions and even less serious "sub-concussions" can lead to a condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. Symptoms include dementia, memory loss, confusion, and depression. CTE can only be clearly diagnosed after death.
Claim: Contact sports might cause a player to have a serious brain injury that shows up many years later.
Keywords: concussion, CTE, sports Difficulty of Concept: Easy
MS-ETS1 Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy
RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE is a brain disease caused by repeated trauma to the head. The head trauma usually occurs years, maybe even decades before symptoms occur. Symptoms of CTE tend to appear in midlife, after most athletes have retired. The signs may be subtle at first — apathy, depression, irritability. As the disease progresses, individuals with CTE may develop tremors, speech problems or dementia. Suicide and erratic behavior also seem to be associated with the condition.
Signs of CTE were first observed in boxers more than 80 years ago. Back then, trainers described affected fighters as being "punch drunk". The condition is quite common to boxers and is called dementia pugilistica. The first evidence of CTE in an American-football player emerged in 2002, and since then numerous former players have been diagnosed with the condition. Anyone who is exposed to mild repetitive head trauma is believed to be vulnerable. That includes American-football players as well as rugby, football, soccer, and hockey players, boxers, wrestlers, soldiers, victims of physical abuse and 'head bangers' at rock concerts.
Research suggests that even multiple mild blows that don't cause symptoms of concussion may be enough to trigger CTE. And some people may be more susceptible genetically than others. The only way to definitively diagnose CTE is though a post-mortem examination of the brain. Perhaps further research into this injury will lead to better ways to protect the brain, or ways to heal the damage after it is done.
Title: Some Sports Can Be Dangerous
Content Area(s): Life ScienceTopic: Head injuries from contact sports
Short description: Multiple concussions and even less serious "sub-concussions" can lead to a condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. Symptoms include dementia, memory loss, confusion, and depression. CTE can only be clearly diagnosed after death.
Claim: Contact sports might cause a player to have a serious brain injury that shows up many years later.
Keywords: concussion, CTE, sports
Difficulty of Concept: Easy
Reading Level (Pit Stop 8 Article):
Flesch Reading Ease: 46.2Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 10.6
Lexile: 1120
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-ETS1 Engineering DesignMS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/LiteracyRST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Vocabulary Words: dementia, apathy, depression ,irritability
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Do's and Don'ts: Reasonable Arguments
Link to Game Introduction Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acVEewGaDcU
Full Text of Article:
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE is a brain disease caused by repeated trauma to the head. The head trauma usually occurs years, maybe even decades before symptoms occur. Symptoms of CTE tend to appear in midlife, after most athletes have retired. The signs may be subtle at first — apathy, depression, irritability. As the disease progresses, individuals with CTE may develop tremors, speech problems or dementia. Suicide and erratic behavior also seem to be associated with the condition.Signs of CTE were first observed in boxers more than 80 years ago. Back then, trainers described affected fighters as being "punch drunk". The condition is quite common to boxers and is called dementia pugilistica. The first evidence of CTE in an American-football player emerged in 2002, and since then numerous former players have been diagnosed with the condition. Anyone who is exposed to mild repetitive head trauma is believed to be vulnerable. That includes American-football players as well as rugby, football, soccer, and hockey players, boxers, wrestlers, soldiers, victims of physical abuse and 'head bangers' at rock concerts.
Research suggests that even multiple mild blows that don't cause symptoms of concussion may be enough to trigger CTE. And some people may be more susceptible genetically than others. The only way to definitively diagnose CTE is though a post-mortem examination of the brain. Perhaps further research into this injury will lead to better ways to protect the brain, or ways to heal the damage after it is done.
References/Sources:
Additional Content:
Author: Cindy Wilbur